Update: Shots fired outside Capitol building as police chase ends

[CowboyMcCoy]

Using a car as a weapon to bystanders is unarmed?

Really? Who did she kill? I mean, that wouldn't have been hard? And you're telling me they couldn't have shot the tires? What about the baby in the car? Was the baby's life so unimportant they risked killing the baby too?

People amaze me with their worship of authority.

 

[arglebargle]

That's the same hindsight logic that you see in draft threads around here. 'Why didn't we just draft Brady, etc!'

You screw up around presidential security, you are likely to get the tougher end of the stick. I'm not one to give police agencies an easy out (especially as my brother's a high ranking major metropolitan area officer: I've gotten to see some of the crap from the inside). But in this instance they were dealing with a dangerous unknown. Hard to fault them.

If this had been a semi-competant agitator driving a car bomb, they'd be catching flack as well.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Under the circumstances, how exactly are the police supposed to determine her mental health and level of armament as she tries to run over them with the car? Do they also have the ability to determine if the car is packed with explosives or not as she's speeding around the Capitol?

If they can do all that on the fly, then there's a whole bunch of technology deployed that I'm not aware of.

Anybody remember the US Embassy bombing in Beirut?

 

[RoyTheHammer]

The mother was mentally ill, apparently, which is even more reason NOT to shoot her.

Still trying to confirm this, but a rumor is floating around that the baby was removed from the car before they shot the woman...

LOL

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

LOL ^^

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

After watching the video again, I still don't think they should have shot her. They had more than one opportunity to ram her car and immobilize her that way. When she's driving in that circle, there are two cops cars who could have easily rammed her.

And the uniforms aren't like uniforms I'm accustomed to seeing. At first I thought they were plain-clothed. But I see the white shirt and I think one of the shirts says police on it.

But watching it again just confirms there were other options besides shooting her.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Cops chase people daily without shooting them.

After attempting to breach a barrier at the Whitehouse and striking a secret service officer? Thanks for taking the time to present an intelligent response. You answered exactly none of my questions.

 

[jobberone]

I think this thread has achieved its purpose in life.